The Hero
by LisaJ
Summary: Angel S2BTVS S5 xover - Angel saves the day.


The Magic Box:

It was a typical night in Sunnydale; in The Magic Shop, the Scooby gang gathered for their usual powwow.

Suddenly, Buffy screamed. "What . . . I don't understand?" she said, looking confused. 

Xander, Spike, Giles and Willow appeared similarly puzzled.

"What just happened?" Xander said.

"I'm not sure," Giles said. "I feel as if a heavy burden has suddenly lifted."

Spike jumped slightly. "The nibblet, something happened to Little Bit," he said.

"Dawn's in trouble!" Buffy cried. "We must save her!"

"Yes, we must save her!" the assembled Scoobies chorused. "Dawn's in trouble."

They quickly sprung into action, then, as one, the entire Scooby gang paused.

"What are we doing?" Tara said.

"We're saving my sister," Buffy said.

"Wait a minute," Xander said. "Buffy, you don't have a sister."

Giles frowned. "The boy's right. I distinctly remember that you are an only child."

"What do you call Dawn then?" Buffy snapped.

"A ball of mystical energy the monks formed into a simulacrum of a human, and delivered to you for safekeeping after altering all our memories. Without our knowledge or consent I might add," Giles said. "No, I really don't feel any particular desire to rescue her, or rather, it, from whomever or whatever is threatening it."

"What's wrong with you people?" Buffy said desperately. "I know she's really the key, and she's not even human, but she's still my little sister. Let's get going, we have to save her."

"Why should we risk our lives for a ball of green energy?" Tara said reasonably.

"Come on, you guys have known for weeks that Dawn is the key, why are you acting like this now?" Buffy said. 

"Beats me," "Who cares," "I dunno," "Eh," "Bloody ball of energy," her companions said, their indifference to Dawn's fate palpable.

The Scoobies resumed their seats, except for Buffy, who stared out the window, a sad expression on her face.

"There is no Little Bit, never was. I feel like a right wanker about now," an aggrieved Spike said.

"I know what you mean. It's as if someone had played a particularly malicious practical joke on all of us," Giles said.

"All that time we wasted, all that concern for 'Dawn's' welfare," Willow said bitterly. The others concurred.

"What a bunch of chumps we are," Anya said.

"And I, I babysat the bloody thing," Spike cried in horror. "Me, the big bad, William the Bloody, played nursemaid to some imaginary chit, and ENJOYED it!"

Xander put his hand on Spike's shoulder in an act of solidarity. "I know, bleachboy, I know. I listened to N'Sync with her."

"Bloody hell!" Spike yelled. "I say we find these monks and kill them."

Giles looked tempted, but reluctantly said, "No, Spike, we mustn't. They were only trying to do what they thought was right."

Buffy turned to face her friends. "I'll miss her so much. What will I do without her?" she said, practically sobbing.

"Are you insane, Slayer?" Spike said. "Exactly what will you miss? The endless whining? The brattiness?"

"I thought you liked her," Xander said.

"That was the sodding spell, you stupid git," Spike snapped.  
  
"Yeah, Buffy, you were complaining that she was always getting into your clothes and makeup," Willow said.  
  
"True," Buffy admitted.  
  
"Not to mention her unpleasant habit of needlessly putting herself into danger," Giles added. "I, for one, shan't miss risking my life to save 'Dawn' from one completely avoidable peril after another."  
  
"Yeah, what the bleeding Nancyboy said," echoed Spike. Xander, Willow, Tara and Anya nodded their agreement.  
  
A thought occurred to Willow. "With the Key destroyed, Glory will fade away. She's not a threat to us anymore."  
  
"You're right!" Anya said. "Good, now we can stop worrying about dying and start thinking about making this shop turn a profit."  
  
Xander smiled ruefully. "That's my girl," he said. "She always looks on the bright side of life."  
  
"Good riddance to bad rubbish," Giles said. "I propose we drink a toast."  
  
"Hear, hear," Spike said.  
  
"All right, time to party," Xander said.  
  
Meanwhile, Glory screamed in agony before disappearing forever, leaving a relieved Ben to get on with his life.  
  
Earlier that evening, on the outskirts of town:  
  
The classic convertible pulled off the road.  
  
"Why are we stopping here?" Dawn demanded.  
  
Angel gazed at his passenger. She seemed a little apprehensive, but had accepted his story about Buffy wanting her to accompany him to Los Angeles to keep her safe from Glory's minions.  
  
"Dawn, do you trust me?" Angel said. "Of course I do," Dawn said. "Why wouldn't I, Angel? You're like a big brother to me."

Angel briefly wondered if Dawn was aware they hadn't actually met until earlier that night. His question was answered when Dawn continued speaking.

"Everything's been so crazy lately. Ever since Buffy found out I'm not really her sister, I've been afraid she won't want to risk her life or the lives of her friends to protect me. Just because I'm fake doesn't mean I don't deserve to be treated like I'm the most precious thing in her life," she whined.

"Is that so," Angel said softly. "Poor baby."

"Xander's been mean to me lately too. He doesn't spend all his time over at our house playing with me anymore, he's busy with that girlfriend of his, Dawn said petulantly. "And don't get me started on Willow and Tara. Just because they're dating, going to college full-time and working on a way to beat Glory, is no reason for them to ignore me."

"No, of course not," said Angel.

"It's not fair. Sometimes I wish I'd never been born," Dawn complained.

Angel smiled tenderly at the young girl. "Don't worry, Dawnie, I'm going to make everything better." 

"What do you mean?" Dawn said.

"By doing this," Angel said as he took Dawn's face in his hands and snapped her neck. Dawn's body dissolved into a green mist which quickly dissipated, leaving no trace of her existence.

Angel called the office to let them know the plan had been a success. Good thing Cordy had that vision about Glory/Ben and the Key, and I was able to get up here to rectify the situation before it was too late. God knows what might have happened if that foul thing had stayed here any longer, he thought as he started the car.  
  
"What the hell were they all thinking?" Angel muttered as he pulled onto the highway.  
  
The End.


End file.
